Rural America: When you come to an obstacle, go around it.

[Comatose Sphagetti]

Rural America. You will not change them. I live here. I know. If trump blows the place up, even if it was really obvious it was his fault, I can assure you they will blame us. You can try to reason with them but it would never work. There is no reasoning with people who believe the earth is a few thousand years old, that Noah put 2 of each animal on an ark (including dinosaurs), and Israel must be protected - not for any humanitarian reason, but because it's where Jesus is coming back.

So you try to reach the ones you can and for the rest, move on.

[renate]

1. It really doesn't seem as though there'd be enough of a payoff from trying to reach them

And I'm not saying that as if they were dumb or anything... it wouldn't be worth their while to try to persuade me to become a Republican, either. I'm just as set in my ways as they are.

Facts and information (e.g. about economics and federal payments to the red states, not even about cultural things like Darwinism or LGBTQ tolerance or anything like that) haven't had an impact so far. Most of those people (correct me if I'm wrong, but this is how it seems from everything I've been reading lately, and also from visits with my grandparents) are insular and like it that way. And that's fine! I like a sense of community, history, shared cultural experiences, etc, too. So efforts should be focused on where they will do the most good. We unfortunately just have to come to terms with the fact that there are two Americas, red and blue. I wish it were otherwise, but that's the way it probably is for at least the foreseeable future.

TL;DR: yeah, I agree with you... especially since you know whereof you speak.

[crazycatlady]

2. You won't change everyone

But if a Democrat wins 10 rural counties 66-33 instead of 70-30 that could mean the margin of victory (or defeat) in a statewide race.

That is why rural America is still important.